In Maureen Lee Lenker's A Star Is Scorned, Flynn Banks is one of Hollywood's most notorious leading men, with a woman for every occasion. Liv De Lesseps, a newcomer to Tinseltown, is his new co-star in his next picture. After a meet-cute right out of Singin' in the Rain, Flynn is smitten with Livvy, unaware of her true identity. Flynn's attraction only grows when they get to know each other on set, and Livvy realizes there is more to the man she admired on-screen than the gossip mags would have her believe.
Needing to clean up Flynn's image (and boost the stardom of their new leading lady) in Hays Code-era Hollywood, the studio stages a fake relationship for the pair. It soon becomes clear, however, that there is nothing fictional about their romance.
The third novel in Lenker's classic Hollywood world, A Star Is Scorned can be read as a stand-alone, though as in many romance series, characters from previous volumes appear. The yearning grows more palpable with each word as the lovers are convinced that they could never work as a couple. With its lingering touches and action-packed sword fights, A Star Is Scorned feels like an old movie come to life on the page. The themes of censorship and the consequences of speaking out against a powerful abuser are sadly still relevant and deepen the story.
Full of nods to classic movies and movie stars, A Star Is Scorned will make readers want to put on Glenn Miller, pour something bubbly, and imagine themselves on the silver screen. --Alyssa Parssinen, freelance reviewer and former bookseller